Sophomore Nolan Brown's bat helped carry the Blinn baseball team to its first NJCAA World Series appearance in 22 years. 
Tuesday, that big bat carried Brown to NJCAA All-American recognition.
Brown, a right fielder, was named a third-team All-American for a season in which he batted .411, had a .478 on-base percentage and a .634 slugging percentage. He had 83 hits, scored 51 runs and hit eight home runs—all of which were team-bests for the Buccaneers, who finished fifth in the nation this season.
"This is a great tribute to Nolan Brown," Blinn coach Harvey McIntyre said. "He's made a big improvement in the course of one year, and not just on the field, but as a great teammate and leader for us."
Brown is the 35th All-American in program history and first since Brandon Lawrence in 2011. Brown will join the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in the Fall.
"Pound for pound he may very well be the strongest player I've ever coached," McIntyre said. "He's a strength and speed guy—he can hit for homers and lay down a drag bunt. Those kinds of guys are very rare."
The Buccaneers are coming off their best season since the team finished third at the NJCAA World Series in 1992. En route to its fifth-place finish at this year's World Series, Blinn defeated Cochise (Ariz.) College 7-4 in its tournament opener, then upset No. 1-ranked Chattahoochee Valley (Ala.) 10-2 via an eight-inning run-rule in its second game. Blinn then suffered losses to Miami Dade (Fla.) and Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.) to end its run for the program's first national title.
